


this is the way that we love (like it's forever)

by aarobron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Single Dad AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 22:08:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12308799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aarobron/pseuds/aarobron
Summary: the one where aaron is a single dad, and robert falls terribly, desperately in love with him.or,Robert meets Aaron on a Tuesday.He quite literally bumps into him, sending the younger man staggering back and Robert’s bottle of water rolling down the high street. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Aaron gasps, one hand on Robert’s arm and the other still trying to clutch onto a strap.Robert’s about to snap back, say something sarcastic and deprecating, but one glance upwards has the breath spilling out of his lungs. “It’s fine,” He says instead, feels a smile tugging at his lips. “D'you need a hand?”





	this is the way that we love (like it's forever)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reformedcharacter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reformedcharacter/gifts).



> good evening! this was written for a tumblr prompt from lauren. 
> 
> warnings: references to holly's drug overdose throughout, plus a frank conversation about it. 
> 
> title from [happy ending by mika](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFkSMHle8-M)
> 
> thank you for reading! x

“Vic?” Robert breathes. His heart is thumping wildly in his chest, like it’s going to burst right out. He’s glad the microphone can’t pick it up. “I’ve met someone.”

Victoria lets out a loud squeal, loud enough that he has to hold the phone away for a minute, but then she stops. “There’s a but, isn’t there?” She asks knowingly.

“What makes you think that?” He argues weakly. There’s no way of hiding anything, not from his sister.

“There’s always a but with you, Robert,” She argues back, fiercer than he had. Sisters, Robert thinks, rolling his eyes fondly. There’s no escape.

He tilts his chin down to his chest. “Alright,” He concedes. “The but is that he’s got a kid.”

For a minute, the only sound is his harsh breaths down the line. Victoria’s end radiates disappointment and confusion. “What does that matter?” She asks, confident in her curiosity. “You handled Lachlan just fine.”

“No, I didn’t, Vic,” It’s his turn at confidence now. “There is no handling that little creep. You know that as well as I do.”

Victoria hums, a tiny high-pitched noise that makes his lungs ache for the way he misses her. “Point taken,” She agrees. “But you still lived with the kid, didn’t you?”

“Lachlan was ten when I moved in,” Robert explains. His tongue feels too dry, and he swallows a few times before continuing. “This kid is _four_. I don’t know how to handle toddlers.” He doesn’t, either, and it’s verging on a deal breaker right now. It’s terrifying. It’s commitment.

“Tell me how you feel about him, then,” Victoria says calmly, like it’s obvious. “Tell me what you like about him.”

He can feel it working already, spreading happiness through his veins.

Sisters. They always know what to do.

.

Robert meets Aaron on a Tuesday.

He quite literally bumps into him, sending the younger man staggering back and Robert’s bottle of water rolling down the high street. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Aaron gasps, one hand on Robert’s arm and the other still trying to clutch onto a strap.

Robert’s about to snap back, say something sarcastic and deprecating, but one glance upwards has the breath spilling out of his lungs. “It’s fine,” He says instead, feels a smile tugging at his lips. “D'you need a hand?”

“That’d be great,” Aaron says, suddenly coming over both desperate and thankful. Robert picks up the groceries that have rolled out of shopping bags, and packs them back in tightly. “Abigail Holly Dingle, come here!”

The little girl runs back over, clearly slightly fearful from the tone of Aaron’s voice. “Oh, is this your daughter?” Robert asks, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“Yeah, sorry about her,” Aaron laughs, scooping the girl into his arms. He settles her on one hip and balances the shopping bags in the over, and smiles embarrassedly at Robert. “She’s four - fierce and an absolute terror.”

“She’s beautiful,” Robert tells him, not minding the honesty in his voice. He gazes over the little girl; her wide blue eyes, her button nose and her little pink mouth. She looks exactly like Aaron, and it’s beyond endearing.

“Thank you,” The dark-haired man murmurs. He glances up at Robert from under his eyelashes. “Listen, will you let me take you for coffee? There’s a place down the road that has a soft play area so I can thank you properly without the little monkey hanging all over me.”

“That would be nice,” Robert says, grinning back. What surprises him is how calm he feels - how much his heart is beating. It’s wild.

.

“So,” Robert starts, sitting back and taking a sip of his coffee. “Is Abigail’s mother not around?”

Aaron chokes on his drink and clears his throat, but he keeps staring at the table. “She, uh,” Aaron says, but then he stops and takes a deep breath. He looks up at Robert finally, and his eyes are wide and wet. “Holly isn’t with us anymore.”

 _Fuck_. “I’m so sorry, Aaron,” Robert sighs, chewing his nails. It’s not a habit he likes, nor one he does often, but it comes out when he’s nervous and he’s nervous around Aaron. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s alright, you weren’t to know,” Aaron says kindly. He’s got a soft smile on his face, like he really doesn’t mind. Robert would be all kinds of blue right now, if it was him. “I’ll always make sure Abi knows who she is. But we weren’t together anyway, seeing as I only knocked her up out of some closet-case desperation.”

Robert hums and smiles back. “Gay, then?” He asks, and when Aaron nods, he continues. “I’m bisexual.” It feels too easy to say it - too natural. It hasn’t been like this with anyone else.

“Have you got any kids?” Aaron inquires, offering a piece of his cake to Robert.

The older man takes it, chews it slowly while he thinks of the best way to answer. “I had a step-kid, once,” He says, deciding the truth is best. “But I lost that when we got divorced. It wasn’t a great loss, if I’m honest.”

Aaron blinks. “Bad kid?”

“The worst,” Robert laughs, checking his watch. “But that’s a story for another time. I really need to get back to work, but… call me, yeah?” He hands his business card over with a wink, and then turns on his heel and goes.

He doesn’t look back over his shoulder, but he can feel Aaron’s eyes burning into his back.

.

It takes three days for a text to come through, but Robert definitely isn’t waiting by the phone. Not at all.

He can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when it comes, though.

_It’s Aaron. Do you fancy a drink on Friday? X_

**I’d love to. Can you get a babysitter? Xx**

_All sorted. Mum’s having her xxx_

**It’s a date then ;) xxxx**

.

“He’s brilliant with Abi, Vic,” Robert admits quietly. He bites his lower lip to try and stop the words spilling out, but it would take a greater force than that. “She’s a great kid.”

“She sounds it. _He_ sounds it,” Victoria sighs. The phone line is static but her voice still comes through strong and warm, lighting him up from the inside.

“She’s four years old and she’s already been through so much,” He whispers. “She’s so strong. She’s incredible.”

He can almost hear Vic rolling her eyes over the phone, but he ignores it. “What’s the problem, then?”

He hesitates, stutters over his words. “I’m not a good person, am I?” He says slowly, carefully. It’s all the truth. “What if I ruin her?”

“I know for a fact that you wouldn’t,” Victoria says firmly. “I mean, sometimes you make bad decisions but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. You’re great, Robert, and I can tell you already care for the both of them.”

Robert mulls the words over in his head, and then sighs. “Maybe,” He grants, and they both know it’s the best he’s going to give.

“Tell me what else you like,” Victoria insists. It brings the smile back to his face.

.

 

“This is cosy,” Robert teases, placing Aaron’s drink on the table. It is - a small tucked-in-the-corner pub, with low lighting and plush seats.

Aaron just smiles back, but his eyes are bright and sparkling. “Had to treat you for our first date, didn’t I?”

“Was the coffee not our first date?” Robert asks, leaning on his elbows to get closer. There’s no need, really, but something about Aaron is electric and magnetic. It draws him closer, makes him want to touch and learn and teach.

“That was thank you,” Aaron murmurs, glancing up from underneath his eyelashes. He’s playing coy, knows exactly what he’s doing. “This is where it starts.”

Robert thinks he knows what _it_ is - we, us, a future. He likes the sound of it. Welcomes it, even.

.

“Thanks for tonight,” Aaron says. He’s flushed from the beer, warm from the company, but he pulls the lapels of his coat tighter around himself. The winter wind is blowing around them and settling in their bones, but the air feels electric. “It’s the best night I’ve had in years.”

“Me too,” Robert admits, swaying forward. He peers at Aaron for a moment, and then frames his face with his hands and pulls him in for a deep kiss. He can’t hold it back any longer, so he brushes his tongue against Aaron’s and feels the sparks.

The younger man is glowing when he pulls back, a shy smile on his face. “D'you wanna come in for a drink?” He asks, fingers tangling with Robert’s when his hand drops.

“I’d love to,” Robert laughs, and follows Aaron inside. He toes his shoes off and hangs his coat up where Aaron gestures, and then walks through to the kitchen.

“Beer?” Aaron murmurs, pulling a bottle out of the fridge. Robert takes two steps forward and pulls the bottle out of his hand, places it safely on the side, and then presses him against the counter. “Or we could do this.”

He stretches his body against Robert and breathes out slowly when the older man’s fingertips graze his waist, and then reaches up on tiptoes to kiss Robert, short and sweet. “This is better,” The blond confirms, hand tangling in Aaron’s curls to tilt his head up.

.

“You didn’t even sleep with him on the first date?” Vic asks. She sounds incredulous. Robert is offended. “Not even though you had the opportunity to?”

“Of course I didn’t, Vic,” He says, affronted. “He means too much for that. This- this isn’t just sex. It never was.”

Victoria laughs, a delighted sound, and then he can hear her clap her hand on her thigh. “It must be serious,” She coos.

“I’m serious about him,” He smiles even though she can’t see it. “We just had a drink and kissed a bit and then I went home, virtues intact.”

“Smitten kitten!” His sister squeals, and she sounds excited. Exactly how Robert feels. “Tell me more.”

.

Robert picks up the phone on the first ring. He used to wait, to make the other person feel inadequate, unworthy of his time, but with Aaron he doesn’t care. He is shameless. “Hey,” He breathes, shrugging on his jacket. “I’m running a little late, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be!” Aaron says, sounding suspiciously chirpy. “Listen, I’ve got some bad news – mum cancelled on me tonight and I’ve got no one to look after Abi. I mean, you can come round here and I’ll cook, or we can do it another time?” He sounds anxious, like maybe Robert will flake and never come back.

The older man calms his movements and his breathing. Now is as good a time as any to meet his boyfriend’s daughter, he supposes. Plus, that must mean Aaron trusts him? “Yours sounds great,” He settles on, locking the front door behind him. “I’ll be ten minutes, yeah?” 

He gets to Aaron’s house in record time, almost jogging round the backstreets. Aaron opens the door with a flourish, as if Robert hasn’t seen the house before – but this time, he guesses, it’s different. He’s never really been around Abigail like this. “Come in,” Aaron says, stepping back to let Robert in the house. “I’m sorry about the mess.”

“It’s fine,” Robert smiles, because it is. He likes immaculate houses, showhome-esque and not a cushion out of places, but this – it feels warm. Homely. Something that Robert’s never had. Aaron steps forward and presses a kiss to the older man’s cheek, and he leaves a smudge of flour on his collar. 

“Abi’s in the living room, colouring,” Aaron says sweetly, walking backwards down the hall. “But you can help me with this sauce because I _cannot_ get it right.” 

Robert laughs and follows, one hand pressed to the small of Aaron’s back, and it’s so domestic and so perfect, that he has to take a minute to regulate his breathing. “That’s because you can’t cook,” He teases, barely more than a low rumble. Aaron hears, though, and looks up at him with something like _hope, faith, joy_ shining in his eyes.

.

“Do you want to colour?” Abigail asks him. She’s sat at the dining table next to him, a book bigger than her face spread out in front of her with hundreds of pencils, and she’s entirely lost in concentration. She’s so eloquent, though, her speech nearing perfect, and it shocks Robert a little. He hasn’t spent much time with the girl – he didn’t really know what to expect.

“I don’t want to take your book away,” Robert says gently, glancing over his shoulder at Aaron. The younger man is plating up, humming to the radio in the corner. It’s perfect, really – or it would be, if Robert knew how to handle kids. 

She finally glances up at him, wide eyes almost hidden by her curls, and takes in every detail of his face the way that kids do. “Robert,” She says, almost in awe. “Daddy said that you don’t have a mummy either.” 

Something stops and then starts again in Robert’s chest, and it rises in his throat. He’s got to be honest, to himself and to Abigail. “No, Abigail,” He murmurs, instinctively smoothing a hand down the back of her head. “I don’t. But it’s all right, yeah? Cause we’ve both got your daddy now.” 

Abigail smiles up at him, a little teary, and then wraps her tiny arms around his middle. “You can call me Abi now,” She informs him, her tone firm despite the way her cheeks are wet. Robert- Robert doesn’t even know her and he’s proud. It fills all his pores. 

“Think she likes you,” Aaron says, dropping a kiss to Robert’s hair as he puts Abi’s plate in front of her. 

“That’s good,” Robert looks up at the younger man, blinks back the tears in his eyes. “Because I intend to be here for a while – I mean, if you’ll have me.”

Aaron just blinks back like, _of course_.

.

“So you’ve actually met Abigail?” Victoria asks. This time he can hear her breathing through the silence, static and harsh against his eardrums. 

“A few times,” He says, like it isn’t an understatement. He’s spent almost every weekend with her and Aaron, taking them places, buying them things. He likes it – he loves it. He loves the purpose it gives him, the pride it fills him with. 

Vic sniffs and Robert wills her to hold back the waterworks, at least until he hangs up. It’d probably set him off, too. “And you get on?”

“I love her, Vic,” He whispers, feels the truth of it in his heart. It’s not weighty like it should be, just fluttery and light, like it’s exactly what he’s supposed to be doing. 

“Then I don’t think you have to worry about ruining her,” His sister says. She’s wise beyond her years, Vic – the best one of them all. “Because I don’t think Aaron would have let you in, if he thought that.”

He blinks, feels the realisation come over him slowly. “No, I guess not.”

.

“Tell me something,” Robert whispers. Abi is in bed and he’s curled around Aaron on the sofa, a stand-up show on the TV that neither of them are paying attention to. “Something I don’t know.” 

“Abi’s mum- Holly, she died almost three years ago,” Aaron says quietly. He’s calm, but Robert can feel his racing pulse from where two of his fingers are resting over the thin skin on his wrist. “She got in with a bad crowd, started doing drugs. Ended up addicted to heroin.” 

Robert tangles his fingers with Aaron’s and takes advantage of the momentary silence. “You don’t have to tell me this, Aaron,” He murmurs, and buries his lips in the younger man’s hair.

“I want you to know,” Aaron says firmly, but he doesn’t resist the comforting touch. “She’d actually been clean for months, y’know. Before it happened. She’d been clean and things were looking up, but I guess you never really know what’s going on in an addict’s mind.”

“What happened?” Robert asks cautiously. He knows where it ends, obviously, but there are gaps. He wants to know more about Aaron. He wants to know everything, about both him and Abi. 

Aaron takes a deep breath and tightens his grip on Robert’s hand, leans back a little further. He’s seeking comfort, and Robert will give him it. “She was- she was doing wedding photography, and she went to an old friend’s wedding. She seemed so fucking happy, Robert,” His breath is hitching on sobs by now. “And then she was just dead. She overdosed. Abi didn’t have her mum anymore, and I didn’t have my best friend.” 

“I’m so sorry, Aaron,” Robert says earnestly. He shifts, pulls Aaron to face him, and then hugs him tight enough. He hopes it’ll stop the younger man from falling apart entirely. “No one should have to go through that.” 

.

“It’s getting late,” Robert whispers. He doesn’t want to move, wants to stay here forever, with Aaron’s weight pressed against him and the smell of his shower gel everywhere. “I should think about heading home.” 

Aaron blinks up at him with tired eyes, but smiles, a tiny, knowing thing. “You could stay here,” He suggests, fingertips trailing feather light down Robert’s forearm.

“Are you sure?” The older man asks, even though is mind is screaming _yesyesyes_. “I don’t want to rush into anything.”

“Robert,” Aaron huffs good-naturedly. “We’ve been seeing each other for _months_. I think it’s about time, don’t you?” 

“I guess so,” Robert laughs, pressing a hard kiss to Aaron’s mouth. “I’d really like that. I really, really would.” 

The blinding grin he gets in return is more than worth it.

.

“Vic,” Robert breathes. His heart is thumping wildly in his chest, like it’s going to burst right out. He wishes the microphone could pick it up. “I think I’m in love with him.”

She laughs, bright and loud and happy. “Finally, you realise!” She cries, like it’s what she was aiming for all along. “Why the hell are you still talking to me, then? Go get him!”

So he does. 

.

“Aaron,” Robert gasps when the younger man opens the door. He’d gotten to the house in five minutes flat, running the whole way, and he’s not even ashamed. His pulse is thrumming in time with the thoughts in his head: _ilovehimilovehimilovehim_. “Hi.”

He pushes Aaron against the wall when he lets him in, kisses him until they’re both breathless and ignores his noises of confusion until he relaxes, melts into the touch. “What you doing here?” 

“I have something to tell you,” Robert says, leading Aaron by the hand into the living room. He sits down like this is his home – he wants it to be. “And I need you to listen.” He doesn’t let go of Aaron’s hand, just rests his forearms on his knees and stares at the younger man head-on. 

“Alright,” Aaron laughs nervously. He looks jumpy, jittery. Robert wants to kiss it away. “You’re scaring me.” 

Robert takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. “I know I’ve been- well, flaky, the past few weeks. But I was scared, right? Because Abi means so much, doesn’t she? To you and to me. I don’t know if you know that, but she does, and I’m so scared that I’ll fuck with the poor girl’s head. I’m not a good person Aaron, but I want to be. For the first time in my life, I want to be a better person.”

Aaron looks confused, but his eyes are glinting. He tries to open his mouth but Robert shushes him.

“I want to be a better person because I love you, Aaron Dingle. I love you and I love Abi – I want you to be my family. I want to build a life with you, a home. I want forever. And I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend it with,” He finishes, trying on a watery smile. Aaron’s crying too, tear tracks down his face making him flush red, but underneath it all he’s smiling.

“I love you too,” Aaron whispers, swaying forward until their foreheads are pressed together. “That’s- I’ve seen a future since the day I met you.”

Robert laughs from the sheer relief and kisses Aaron, softly, closed-mouthed. “Then I guess you’re stuck with me, Dingle.”

.

“It’s definitely too late to change your mind,” Robert whispers. He can feel the ghost of Aaron’s breath against his cheek, can smell his aftershave, can feel his beard. _This is my future_. 

Aaron smiles, small and secretive, and presses a chaste kiss to Robert’s lips. “Good job, because I’m not going to.”

“Daddy!” Abi yells, one tiny hand covering her eyes. “Stop kissing dad! Grandma Chas is waiting and we need to _go_!” She stomps up to them and tugs on Aaron’s hand with her left, and Robert’s with her right.

“She’s so impatient,” Robert teases, rolling his eyes. “Wonder where she gets that from?” 

Aaron pokes his tongue out of the side of his mouth and this- Robert thought he’d never have this. Aaron makes him feel like a lovesick teenager, still, two years on from their first date. It’s unbelievable. He wouldn’t believe it if he wasn’t living it. “She’s right, though,” Aaron says, pinching his soon-to-be husband’s hip. “My mother will _injure_ you if this doesn’t go perfectly.”

“Yeah, alright, Godfather,” Robert rolls his eyes but takes Aaron’s hand and shuffles Abi until she’s standing in front of them. “You know what you’re doing, Bee? Just throw the petals down the aisle and then stand with Auntie Vic.” 

The girl groans, already acting like a teenager despite her young years. “I _know_ , dad,” She says. Robert can hear the pout in her voice even though she’s facing away. He knows the little girl like his own mind. He loves her, too. “I’m six, not three.” 

And the doors open and the music starts playing, soft piano sounds filling the air. Everyone – their family, their friends – shifts in their seats to look at them, and at _least_ five of the women are crying. “She definitely gets that from you,” Aaron mutters, under his breath, but Robert doesn’t have the chance to reply before he’s walking down the aisle with his fiancé. 

They reach the alter and stand, opposite each other. It feels like the first time, every time Robert looks at Aaron. It feels like a first breath, a first kiss, a first I-love-you. It’s refreshing and exciting every single day, but it’s also a comfort. It is, Robert has found, the only thing he’s ever wanted from his life.

And this time, he intends to keep it.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @ [aarobron](http://aarobron.tumblr.com/) xo


End file.
